


Just Us

by caleprwrite



Series: Imagine [1]
Category: Avengers, Captain America - All Media Types, MCU, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Artist Steve Rogers, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Gen, Godfather Sam Wilson, Gymnastics, Honorary Uncle Sam, Intoxication, Keith Haring Art, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, Motley Crue Home Sweet Home, Natasha Is a Good Bro, Oral Sex, Parkour, Party Games, Pietro Lives, Reader Needs a Hug, Referenced Ageism, Sex with a Super Soldier, Stan Lee cameo because I just couldn't help myself, Steve Rogers Is A Gentleman, Steve Rogers is Not a Virgin, unprotected sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 03:55:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11546979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caleprwrite/pseuds/caleprwrite
Summary: - Imagine you're Sam Wilson's god daughter, only child of the late but infamous Riley and you finally meet "Uncle" Sammy's co-workers. -“Mr. Wilson, you have a visitor in the lobby,” the AI interrupted as Sam sunk the 14 ball.“You expectin’ company?” Steve asked. He glared at Sam playfully as he lined up the 8 ball and called the corner pocket. If Sam made the shot, it would break their tie, and the loser had to pay for pizza and beer later. Sam was a sore winner, which was ten times worse than a sore loser. If Steve lost, he’d never hear the end of it from his friend.Sam shrugged and sank the 8 ball perfectly in the corner pocket before he answered JARVIS. “You got anymore than that J, or am I playin’ 20 questions?” Sam asked into the air around him.“Of course, sir. A Special Agent Olivia O’Neill is here to see you regarding some personal family business.”Sam straightened immediately at the mention of the name. “Send her up to the communal floor. I’m on my way.”“Everything okay?” Steve called as his friend left the lounge without a word. He didn’t even gloat and that was not like Sam.





	Just Us

**Author's Note:**

> I have no Beta so please be kind. If you find something that kills the flow please let me know :)

The sound of your steps echoed across the marble floored lobby of Avengers Tower. You made your way through the bustling crowds of people leaving for the day, and approached the friendly looking older man behind the security counter.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Lee,” you greeted the guard and read the name on his uniform. You showed him your badge and ID as you introduced yourself. “Special Agent O’Neill. I’m here to see Sam Wilson, please.”

After entering your information into the system, he found you on the list of cleared family members for the Falcon. “Yes ma’am, can I tell him what it’s regarding?” he asked politely.

“Please just tell him it’s personal family business.” He nodded. “Thank you Mr. Lee.”

“Call me Stan,” he replied and you smiled. “It will just be a moment to confirm if he’s in the tower.”

 

 _“Mr. Wilson, you have a visitor in the lobby,”_ the AI interrupted as Sam sunk the 14 ball.

“You expectin’ company?” Steve asked. He glared at Sam playfully as he lined up the 8 ball and called the corner pocket. If Sam made the shot, it would break their tie, and the loser had to pay for pizza and beer later. Sam was a sore _winner_ , which was ten times worse than a sore loser. If Steve lost, he’d never hear the end of it from his friend.

Sam shrugged and sank the 8 ball perfectly in the corner pocket before he answered JARVIS. “You got anymore than that J, or am I playin’ 20 questions?” Sam asked into the air around him.

“ _Of course, sir. A Special Agent Olivia O’Neill is here to see you regarding some personal family business._ ”

Sam straightened immediately at the mention of the name. “Send her up to the communal floor. I’m on my way.”

“Everything okay?” Steve called as his friend left the lounge without a word. He didn’t even gloat and that was not like Sam.

 

“You'll take lift number seven to the 86th floor,” Stan instructed, pointing to a wall of elevators. “You don't have to do anything, it will open at the correct level.”

“Thanks again, Stan,” you smiled and shook his hand.

“Have a nice visit,” he called after you with a friendly smile and waved as you entered the elevator.

 

Sam exited the lift on the south end of the communal floor. As he crossed the living space, Natasha watched his expression with an arched eyebrow. The North lift opened and you stepped out.

“Liv! How you been baby girl?” Sam asked throwing his arms around your smaller frame. He picked you up as he hugged you tightly.

You smiled and returned the embrace. “Sammy, I’ve missed you!”

“Come on in, let me introduce you to everyone!” he said, beaming. His smile faded when you were reluctant to follow him.

“Wait, Sammy… Can we- I need to talk to you first.” Your green eyes met his brown ones and they clouded with tears. “It’s Momma.”

Sam stopped in his tracks. His shoulders slumped and his posture changed, almost like the wind got knocked out of him. He looked down at the floor for a beat before wrapping you back in his arms and comforting you as you fought back more tears.

“Oh no, baby girl. When?” he asked as you parted.

“Two weeks ago. They originally gave her five months, but…” your voice trailed off and you swallowed hard around the lump in your throat. “It came back and spread to her brain.”

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you, Liv.” Sam’s brow creased and his jaw clenched. He hated the thought of you going through the death of your mother by yourself. As your uncle, he always wanted to be there to protect you.

“You were on a mission. Trust me, I understand.” You sighed and lightly punched him in the shoulder. You tried taking a cleansing breath and willed back the emotions. “I wanted to make sure you knew, though, so I came up as soon as I heard you were back.”   

“Everything okay Sam?” a soft, deep voice asked as a tall blond man entered the room. Concern flashed across his face when he saw Sam’s darkened expression. You quickly brushed the tears away that snuck down your reddened cheeks and put on your best smile.

Sam turned toward Steve and nodded for him to come over. “Steve, let me introduce you. This is my niece, Olivia. Liv? Steve Rogers.”

“Nice to meet you, Steve,” you said and reached for his hand. His grasp was gentle, warm and strong.

“Hi, uh... I didn’t know Sam had a niece,” he said, shooting Sam a ‘why didn’t you tell me’ look.

Sam chuckled and shook his head. “Yeah, well maybe that’s because I didn’t want you creepin’ on her, Cap.”

Steve’s cheeks pinked and he grinned nervously. “Hah, very funny Sam. It’s a pleasure, Olivia.”

“Please, call me Liv.” You smiled back at Steve. He was adorable. His warm, shy smile and the bright blue of his eyes was hypnotizing. After a few seconds of silence Sam spoke up. You hadn’t realized you and Steve were still smiling at each other like a pair of idiots.

“Liv’s with the Bureau, out of D.C.” Sam said. Your uncle’s voice brought you back to reality and you quickly broke eye contact with Steve. You smiled up at Sam.

“ _Dude_ , how about a tour?” you asked, nudging Sam with your elbow. “Never been to the Tower before.”

 

Sam introduced you to Natasha Romanoff, who was quietly watching the exchange from behind a book. She had been perched on the sofa across the room. She was friendly but seemed a bit reserved, no doubt assessing you prior to engaging in any kind of conversation. You understood, since you’d been known to take that approach when needed, and from what you heard of her you respected that.

From there, Sam took you up to the lounge level where you met Clint Barton, Pietro Maximoff, and his twin sister Wanda. Pietro perked up as soon as you entered and you could feel the silver haired young man undressing you with his icy blue eyes. His sister shot him a look and you watched as they had a silent conversation, no doubt about his manners. He shrugged and stalked over to you anyway. You reached out to shake his hand and he brushed his lips across your knuckles instead.

“To what do we owe the pleasure of meeting such a beautiful woman?” Pietro asked in a heavy Sokovian accent. His piercing blue eyes danced with mischief and he smirked confidently as he looked up at you from under his lashes.

You laughed at the utter predictability of his come-on and Clint grabbed Pietro by the shoulders, pulling him back. “Easy tiger, Wilson looks like he wants to kill you already,” Clint laughed, positioning himself between Pietro and your uncle. You liked Clint, and could tell he was the honorary father figure for the twins.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Steve frown at Pietro’s antics. He shoved his hands in his pockets and took the smallest bit of a step back.

Wanda was sweet, if a little shy at first, and completely unlike her cocky twin brother. She was about your same height and build but had long dark brown hair. She greeted you with a welcoming smile and hug. “Please excuse my brother”, she whispered before releasing you. You smiled and shrugged. His pickup lines weren’t exactly original.

Sam walked around the bar and offered you a bottle of water, which you gladly accepted. “So how long are you in town, Liv?” he asked.

“Long as you’ll have me. I’ve got another two weeks of leave, then it’s back to D.C.” You removed your holster from the back of your waistband and set it on the counter with your purse so you could lean back on the barstool comfortably. You took a drink and swung your feet nervously as you asked, “Momma wanted to be inurned at Arlington with Daddy…I was hoping you could come with me?” You gulped another sip of water over the lump that was forming in your throat again.

Sam’s smile faded and he met your eyes with a somber expression. “You know I will, baby girl.”

You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding. It was important to you that he be there for that. Sam squeezed your shoulder. You raised your brows and gave him the _‘let’s change the subject’_ smile he taught you when you were a teenager. Thankfully, he picked right up on it.

“Hey, Steve here was just going to order pizza and get some beer. You want in?”

“Dinner and drinks _already?_ Just what kind of girl do you think I am, Steve?” you teased in mock offense with your hand flitting to the bottom of your throat. He laughed and dropped his head sweetly.

“My motives are pure, I promise,” he said holding his hands up in surrender before shooting your uncle a look that said ‘you’ll pay for that’. Seeing them tease each other reminded you of the stories you heard about your dad and Sam back in their pararescue days.

“Look, all y’all can thank me for pizza and beer tonight. It’s not everyday someone kicks Captain America’s ass, am I right?” Sam waved his hands in the air, praising himself.

Clint joined in with applause, “Here, here!”

“What’s this about you kicking Steve’s ass?” Natasha asked, joining the group upstairs. “Did I miss a training session and nobody told me?”

Steve cleared his throat and scoffed. “Pool, Nat. Just a couple of games of pool.”

“You sayin’ I can’t take you old man?” Sam teased.

Steve arched a brow and smiled an adorable crooked grin before heading out to get the beer. He made a point to squeeze Sam’s shoulder on his way and said quietly, “On your left, Sam.”

“That’s cold, man! Cold,” Sam shot back and shook his head. “Hey! Extra pepperoni for me Steve!” he called before the elevator door closed.

 

While you waited for Steve to return, Sam took you up to the labs to meet the rest of the team. You entered the room and your jaw dropped. You’d never seen anything so advanced!

“Hello, _beautiful,_ ” a man’s muffled voice came from behind you. You turned to see who you recognized as Tony Stark standing behind you, holding a screwdriver in his mouth and a bunch of fuses and wires in his hands. He shuffled everything and spoke clearer. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing in a dive like this?”

“Very funny, Stark. This is _my niece,_ ” Sam said, placing his hand possessively across your shoulders.

“Hi Mr. Stark, Olivia O’Neill. It’s an honor to meet you, I’ve read so much about your research.” Trying not to fangirl too much, you stuck out your hand as you introduced yourself.

“Olivia, huh? I like it. Strawberry blonde, adorable freckles… Sorry Wilson, I’m not seeing the family resemblance here,” Tony said, not breaking eye contact with you.

Your uncle cleared his throat in a warning and stated simply, “O’Neill, as in Riley O’Neill’s daughter,” as if that explained his overprotectiveness. It must have, because after that Tony Stark was behaving politely.

“Please call me Liv,” you smiled. You looked around the lab again from where you were standing. “This is incredible, Mr. Stark.”

“I call you Liv, you call me Tony,” he corrected walking away. “And yes, it is, isn’t it?” Tony called around the corner with his arm full of gadgets and disappeared.

“You’ll have to excuse Tony, he’s his own biggest fan,” a mild mannered man said, approaching you. He had kind brown eyes and salt and pepper hair just long enough to softly curl. Speaking in a soothing voice he introduced himself. “Bruce Banner,” he said and shook your hand politely.

“Dr. Banner? Dude, _now I’m totally_ gonna fangirl,” you laughed. “Your work in gamma radiation is why I wanted to go to CalTech!”

“Really? Is that what you studied?” he asked, excited to talk science with someone new.

You looked down and smiled. “No, wasn’t accepted. Turns out I love science more than it loves me. I’m with the Bureau out of D.C.”

“Don’t let her fool you, Bruce. She’s got the most undercover ops for any agent her age and she’s an excellent marksman,” Sam bragged. “Liv here could give Barnes a run for his money any day.” The way he spoke so highly of you made you blush. “Speakin’ of, where is that fool?”

“Maintenance on the arm, Tony’s office. Come on I’ll show you,” Bruce said and waved you around the corner where Tony disappeared earlier.

You rounded the hall and saw the large plate glass windows showcasing Central Park and the Manhattan skyline. Floating in the air were laser-projected plans and designs for Ironman suits. You recognized another holographic design as your uncle’s Falcon wings and jetpack. You walked up to it and stared in awe. Your dad would have loved all of this new tech.

“Hey Liv? You awake over there?” Sam laughed. You blushed when you realized he’d been talking to you the whole time.

“Huh?” you asked and kicked yourself for the wonderful display of eloquence. When you turned you saw a long haired brunet man sitting at the counter with Tony. His metal arm was opened up and wires hung out. “Oh, sorry! Just taking it all in.” You walked over to the man you recognized as Bucky Barnes and introduced yourself.

“Nice to meet you Liv. What’s this I hear about you outshootin’ me?” Bucky said giving you a friendly challenging smirk.

“What? I didn’t say- Sammy! You’re going to make ‘em hate me!” you scowled. “It’s nice to meet you, Bucky,” you said and offered your hand. His hand was warm and strong, much like Steve’s. “You’ll have to excuse Sammy, he’s a tad bit biased.”

Bucky’s grey eyes danced as he smiled. “Biased or not, I’m up for a challenge whenever you are.”

“That so?” you shot back, folding your arms and kicking our your hip. “Anytime, Barnes. Anytime.”

 _‘Captain Rogers has asked me to inform everyone the pizza is ready in the lounge,’_ JARVIS said from a speaker overhead.

You jumped a tiny bit, not expecting the ceiling to talk and Bucky chuckled. “You’ll get used to it, kid.”  

“Mmm, I’m in the mood for a slice of victory pie,” Sam said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them.

 

Dinner with the Avengers was quite the experience. Another Agent, Maria Hill came in after she arrived from the compound upstate and you smiled at the obvious chemistry between her and your uncle. She was intelligent, strong and beautiful, with soft raven hair, piercing blue eyes and a smile that lit up the room. You liked the way her eyes softened when she spoke about him.

The friendly banter between the team made you feel right at home. It was a lot like the Bureau, but more warm and relaxed- like a family. Natasha must have decided she liked you, too because she began asking you questions about your experience undercover. Soon, you found yourself trading stories like you were one of their own.

Pizza and beer turned into drinks and music up at the lounge level once Tony broke out the good stuff from behind the bar.

“Oh my God, I love this song!” you laughed when you heard Motley Crue’s _Home Sweet Home_ start playing. _“I had to run away high, so I wouldn’t come home lo-ow,”_ you sang into your beer bottle, completely off key but you didn’t care. “Dance with me Sammy!”

He obliged, and held you close as you swayed with the music. You put your head on his chest and rocked quietly listening to him hum along with the song.

“Your parents danced to this at their wedding,” he sighed. “That was a fun day.”

“I miss ‘em so much,” you said and hugged him tightly around his waist. He wrapped his arms around your shoulders and rubbed your back soothingly.

“I know, Liv. Me too.”

The next song that played was _Y.M.C.A._ by the Village People. That helped perk you up and a lot of the others joined in. Soon you were all dancing and singing along. As if it (he?) read your minds, JARVIS lowered the lights and raised the volume of the music.

Pietro decided to make another obvious attempt at coming on to you and you smiled back, deciding to let him down nicely. He was very attractive, sure, but totally not your type. Still, you accepted his offer to dance when Etta James’ _At Last_ came on over the speakers. You tried to make conversation while the two of you danced in an effort to keep some platonic distance. You _really_ didn’t want him getting the wrong idea.

“So, how long have you been with the Avengers?” you asked, backing up a bit so you could look at each other as you spoke. It also forced him to not hold you so closely.

“Almost a year now, though you know we began as enemies,” he said, pulling you closer. He spoke softly near your ear, “That could have been terrible if we stayed that way, I never would have met you.”

You laughed at his attempt to bring the conversation back to picking up on you and shook your head. “You’re determined, that’s for sure.”

“What, you didn’t see that coming?” he asked slyly in his thick accent. You allowed him to pull you back closer and you looked over to the side at the bar Steve was leaning against while nursing a beer. He smiled softly at you and looked down, fiddling with the label on the bottle. When he looked back up, you mouthed _‘Help me’_ to him, hoping he’d get the hint and cut in. He furrowed his brow in confusion and you motioned to Pietro with your eyes. _‘Please?’_ you smiled.

You breathed a sigh of relief when Steve stood and walked over. Is wasn’t that you were afraid of Pietro, not in the least. You just weren’t in the mood to be incessantly hit on by him. That, and you knew Sam would have a _literal cow_ if he saw Pietro still at it. At the moment he and Maria were dancing and talking softly and you didn’t want the mood ruined for them.

“Mind if I cut in?” Steve asked, coming up next to Pietro and placing a large hand on the back of his neck. You stopped dancing when Steve spoke and let go of Pietro’s hand, so he agreed.

You slid your right hand up Steve’s chest to his broad shoulder and he held your left hand. You watched Pietro wander away and join a game of pool with Clint.

“Thanks, Steve,” you said and smiled up at him. Being that close gave you a chance to get a good look at his beautiful eyes. He smiled shyly and his long lashes cast a shadow over them.

“You don’t need to thank me, Liv. Was he bothering you?” he asked quietly.

“Nah, nothing I can’t handle, I just didn’t want to distract them.” You nodded in the direction of Maria and your uncle. “How long have they been dancing around their feelings for each other?”

Steve laughed softly and followed your eyes in the direction of his friend. “Goin’ on two months now. I keep tellin’ him to make his move, but…” he trailed off and shrugged.

“But what?” you prodded.

“Like he always says, what do I know about women?”

“Really? And here I thought you’d have women lining up at your door.” You watched the light flush of embarrassment rise to his cheeks.

“No,” he laughed. “The whole Captain America conquest thing, sure, but that’s not for me,” he said with a tight smile. You could only imagine, in uniform as Captain America he must make women swoon. Really though, that was nothing compared to what you’d seen so far of Steve Rogers, and he clearly didn’t want to be treated like some kind of celebrity.               

“Sammy said you like to draw?” you asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah, I paint too.” His eyes lit up at the mention of art and he continued, “I’ve always wanted to try ceramics, but I never could afford it before the war. Now finding the time that can be a bit challenging.”

“I took a ceramics class every summer on base for a while when I was a kid. It was a lot of fun,” you said as you continue dancing. “There's a neat little studio near the Bureau I've been wanting to check out. Maybe if you're ever in town we could go together.”

“Really?” he asked with a surprised smile. “You like art, huh?”

“No, I _love_ it. I tried to paint and draw, but ceramics is definitely my thing.”

The song came to an end and you walked back to the bar together. “I’ll never forget the first time I saw Keith Haring’s work.” You pulled out your phone and showed him your lock screen, a photo of you in front of a Haring mural at the Church of Sant’Antonio in Pisa. “This one’s my favorite. It’s a completely different experience when you see it in person. Makes you feel tiny, insignificant even.”

You were interrupted by Tony. “Come on kiddies, time for some real fun!” he hollered.

“Oh, God. Not gonna happen, Stark,” Sam groaned.

“Who pissed in your Wheaties, Wilson?” Tony grumbled with a look of mock hurt on his face.

“She’s my niece, man. We’re not playin’ any of your party games.”

That caught your attention. “What party games?” you asked, curious to see what had Sam grumpy in 0.2 seconds flat.

“Tony likes to act like he’s thirteen,” Steve said as he leaned down and spoke quietly into your ear. “You know, spin the bottle, seven minutes in heaven. Real mature stuff.”

Your skin tingled at the sound of Steve’s voice so close and quiet in your ear, and your face lit up. “Oh, come on Sammy! I’m a grown woman with a gun. I can handle myself,” you chided, crossing your arms in front of your chest and kicking out your hip again. “‘Sides, we’ve done worse at the academy.” Steve raised a curious brow at your response.

“Listen to the lady, Wilson,” Tony begged. “She’s fun!”

Sam hung his head in defeat. He saw the way you stood and knew full well he’d never win the argument with you. “Your dad’s gonna haunt my ass ‘till I die Liv, and then I’m goin’ straight to Hell. I hope you know that.”

You laughed and hugged his arm. “Aw, loosen up... It’ll be fun.”

 

Pillows were thrown about and the group of you sat in a circle. You sat next to Sam, Maria was on his other side, then Natasha, Bucky, Steve, Tony, Bruce, Pietro, Clint and Wanda. You were already on your third beer, so you were feeling nice and relaxed.

“Alright let’s go over the rules for New Booty,” Tony teased, winking at you. He obviously liked making up nicknames for everyone and you felt like this one would probably stick. “Everyone agrees there’s no pass. You pass, you quit. _Spin_ is a 60 second minimum. Call whether you’re doing _Truth or Dare_ or _Spin_ before your turn. If you get a dare just please try not to destroy any property.” He looked in Bucky’s direction and continued, “Yes, I’m talking to _you_ , Barnes.”    

You laughed when you saw Bucky flip off Tony.

“No family on family- because eww- but that's the only exception. Okay, New Booty, you get the honors!” Tony called.

You smiled, took a swig of beer and crawled to the center of the circle. “Truth or Dare,” you announced. You twisted your wrist and let the bottle spin. You closed your eyes as you listened to the glass slowing against the smooth hardwood floor and opened them when it stopped. Your green eyes followed the neck of the bottle across the floor to where Steve sat. _Damnit!_ If there was ever a time to have called Spin, that would have been it. If you wanted to kiss anyone there, it was him.

Steve met your eyes and smiled. He rubbed his jaw in thought, and sighed. “Okay, I think I have an idea. Truth or Dare, Liv?”

“Hmm,” you teased, raising a brow at him coyly. “Let’s go with Dare.” Sam cleared his throat in mock warning and shot Steve a look, which you pointedly rolled your eyes at.

“Alright, I dare you to do a body shot off of Nat,” he said, nodding his head in her direction. This was an interesting dare from Steve, considering what _you_ would have suggested, but that was beside the point. You’d _never_ been one to back down from shots.

“Oh, I can _so_ do this!” you grinned and got up to grab what you needed from the bar. Your eyes met the redhead’s and she reached out for the glass, lime and bottle. After she leaned back on her hands with the shot glass propped in her cleavage, she took the lime in her teeth and arched a challenging red brow at you before shaking her hair out and dropping her head back.

“Jesus, I’m not watching this,” Sam said and covered his eyes with one hand.

You laughed at your uncle, then licked the side of Natasha’s neck and shook the salt on it, the whole time keeping eye contact with Steve. After licking the salt off, you wrapped your lips around the glass in Natasha’s cleavage and threw your head back, gulping the shot. You finished by sucking on the lime wedge between Natasha’s teeth. She lightly kissed you when you did so.

You pulled away to the applause of the group, holding the lime wedge high in victory. You crawled back over to your spot and kissed Sam lightly on the cheek. “That wasn’t so bad, now, was it?”

“One way ticket, Liv. I got a one way ticket to Hell for sure.”

Steve approached the bottle since he was next. He looked right at you and called out “Spin,” before spinning the bottle.

The group cheered when it landed on Tony and you cracked up. Steve dropped his head in defeat with an embarrassed smile. “God, I really wish I could get drunk right about now,” he muttered and moved closer to Tony.

Tony smiled a mile wide and made grabby hands at Steve. He pulled him in by the jaw and locked their lips. You watched in shock as the group cheered, but then broke into laughter when Tony tried to shove his tongue into Steve’s mouth. Steve pushed back and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.

“You just couldn’t help yourself, could ya Tony,” Steve laughed and his cheeks burned an even brighter shade of red, all the way to the tips of his ears. He scratched his face where Tony’s beard tickled.

After a few more turns, Natasha was dared by Clint to give Bucky a lapdance. It was a great dare, with an even better show.

“Play me something sexy,” Natasha ordered the AI. She began facing away from Bucky and directed his hands _just outside_ of everywhere he wanted to touch. After sliding down his body and turning to face him, she made a mess of his long hair and ground her hips against his pelvis. She ended the show with a passionate kiss that had almost everyone needing a cigarette.

Soon after it was Sam’s turn. He chose Truth or Dare and by the mercy of the gods- or Saturn aligning with Venus and the moon- it landed back on you. You laughed and threw your fist in the air excitedly. “Yes!” you exclaimed. You thought about the options and waited for your uncle to choose.

He shot you a playful look of warning. “Truth,” he decided. That was met with jeers from a few of the group but you knew he’d chicken out and go with that one and you were plenty prepared.

“Okay, Sammy,” you began, twirling a wavy lock of hair around your finger. “If you got to spend the night with one woman here, who would it be? And before you answer,” you continued holding up a finger, “you can’t say a word. You have to answer with _a kiss_ to the one you choose.” You stared expectantly at him as he wiggled nervously under the gaze of everyone in the circle.

“That’s it!” Tony interrupted. “New Booty? You’re on my team, I like the way you party!” he laughed and leaned across to high five you.

You watched Maria’s face while Sam glanced around the group nervously. She looked down and picked at the label on her beer as Sam moved in front of her. She looked up at him and smiled before he kissed her. It was soft and sweet and adorable and you couldn’t help but have feels for them. They were _perfect_ together.

Later Bruce spun, and the bottle landed on Tony. Their eyes met and Tony wiggled his eyebrows at the doctor, causing him to blush. “Looks like it’s my lucky night,” Tony said and leaned over attacking Bruce’s mouth. He pushed Bruce back against the floor, kissing him deeply. Bruce fisted his hands into Tony’s Black Sabbath t-shirt and kissed back passionately.

Wanda saw the look of surprise on your face, leaned over and whispered, “They are together, yes?” She laughed softly when the realization of it crossed your face.

Bruce pushed Tony off of him only to bring him back in for another quick, breathless kiss. He stood, pulling Tony up with him. “That’s a wrap guys- I’m taking him home for the night,” he smiled through reddened and kiss-swollen lips. “It was nice to meet you, Liv,” he smiled sweetly and drug his partner out of the room by his hand.

Clint high fived Tony on his way by and clapped Pietro on the shoulder after looking at his watch. “Come on kids, we’ve got an early morning. Duty calls.” He, Pietro and Wanda all said goodnight as well and headed up to the residential levels.

“Where you stayin’ Liv?” Sam asked as he helped Maria up off the floor.

“I’ve got a room at the Casablanca in Midtown. Nice place, just a little pricy but that’s the city, huh?” you answered with a yawn as you leaned back over your pillow and stretched your arms high above your head. You felt your shirt rise up but didn’t care given the level of relaxation the drinks helped you reach.

“Why don’t you stay here?” Steve offered. “We’ve got a ton of space.” You noticed the peek he stole at the flash of skin just above your hips. It gave you a strong urge to drag him down and kiss him but you admonished yourself since you knew that was the alcohol talking.

You looked up at your uncle and he nodded in agreement. “Like he said, it _is_ a Tower and there’s plenty of space.”

“I’ll just get a cab then and get my things. Thanks Sammy,” you smiled and kissed his cheek after he pulled you up too.

Steve looked as though he wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure. You met his eyes and smiled coyly. “Walk me down Steve?”

“Yeah, but... Why don’t I take you? Designated driver, can’t get drunk, remember?” he held his arm out to walk you and you smiled back at Sam. He winked and you blushed, knowing he approved. Steve was one of his best friends, after all.

“Use protection, kids!” Natasha called from her spot in Bucky’s lap. They cracked up and waved at you and Steve.

“Really Romanoff? You too?” Sam grumbled.

“What? I meant helmets, Sam,” she said innocently and you snorted out a laugh when you saw Steve was blushing just as bad as you were.

 

The ride to your hotel was fun. It was late so traffic was light and you got to enjoy the wind on your face. You’d never been on the back of a Harley before, but you hoped you could do it again sometime. It didn’t take long to pack up your things. You just had a backpack and a small carry on.

“Um, Steve?” you asked, giggling and out of breath after fighting with the zipper. You were still feeling warm and fuzzy from the drinks earlier so things were more entertaining than usual.

“Yeah?” he asked, smiling while he watched you struggle with the bag. You had already stubbornly refused his help twice.

“How are we gonna do this? On your bike, I mean...” You laughed again, clearly acting like an intoxicated sorority girl with the way everything sounded sexual to you. Steve shook his head and laughed with you.

“I’ll take this one,” he smiled, grabbing the carry on. “You can put the backpack on, just make sure you hold on to me.”

“Mmm, if you insist,” you mumbled to yourself.

Steve climbed onto the bike and sat your carry on in his lap. He helped you onto the back of his bike after making sure his helmet was securely fastened for you. “Ready?” he asked over his shoulder and squeezed one of your hands, both of which were wrapped around his middle.

“Ready,” you called back softly and tightened your grip a little. Holding onto him, you could feel every ripple and dip of his impressive abs.

You’d be lying if you said feeling him under your hands like that wasn’t turning you on, but you knew you were intoxicated so you tried to pay extra attention to your behavior. It wasn’t easy though, you could feel his warm skin through the fabric of his t-shirt and his hand rested over yours as he held onto you reassuringly. And God, he smelled so damn good, a mix of spicy vanilla after shave and clean skin. You breathed deep and laid your cheek against his broad shoulder, relaxing into his warmth and the low rumble of the motorcycle. It felt so good and you could have stayed there forever.

 

Like a perfect gentleman, Steve carried your bags to your suite. “There are extra linens in your bathroom. If you need anything, I’m just right across the hall,” he said, nodding back over his shoulder.

“Where’s Sammy?” you asked curiously.

“He’s down the hall that’s across from the kitchen. JARVIS? Is Sam in his room?” Steve asked in no real direction. _‘Yes Captain, Mr. Wilson is in his quarters’_ the AI answered back and you looked at the ceiling in surprise.

Steve laughed lightly at your reaction. What was it Bucky said earlier? _You’ll get used to it, kid._

You wondered just how long that would take. You kicked off your shoes and plopped down on the soft bed, patting the area next to you for Steve. He sat next to you on the edge of the bed.

“So uh, JARVIS, right?” you nodded toward the ceiling. “Does he hear and see _everything_?” you asked nervously. It was unsettling, but everyone at the tower seemed fine with it.

Steve half-shrugged. “Pretty much. He really only engages when someone asks for you or there’s an announcement. Otherwise, he’s quiet unless you need him. You can always shut him down in your room if you're not comfortable.” He smiled reassuringly and squeezed your knee with his warm hand. “It was awkward for me at first, but I figured that was because I’m… I dunno, old?” he laughed.

You smiled back, shaking your head at how he spoke of himself. “How old are you, anyway?”  

“I’m uh- I’ll be ninety-nine next week,” Steve answered with a small furrow in his brow.

“Really? And you don’t look a day over 80!,” you teased and playfully squeezed his arm. Holy hell, he was built! “You look damn good for your age, Rogers.” The look on your face gave away your thoughts because he grinned and held your gaze.

“Okay, your turn Liv. I can’t be the only one givin’ away my secrets. How old are you?” Your heart skipped with the way he continued to hold your gaze. He definitely knew you were into him.

“I’ll be 24 this September,” you replied, looking down. You half expected him to turn tail and run right then and there. Everyone seemed to have no problem taking you seriously until they found out your age.

“Hey, what is it?” he asked, hunching lower so you’d meet his eyes. “Tell me.” You met his gaze with a feeling of surprise. The little line between his brows only showed genuine concern.

You shrugged. “I’m just used to people shutting down when they find out my age. It’s hard to be taken seriously,” you explained. He slowly nodded in consideration.

“I think I understand- being judged for your age, I mean. I was only 26 when I went into the ice. It’s not like I have 100 years of life experience, you know?” He folded his hands in his lap and looked down. He mirrored your previous posture but continued all the same. “People assume I know more, like I actually _lived_ through all those decades. Honestly, I feel lost a lot of the time... Just tryin’ to make sense of everything.” He flashed you a self-depreciating smile. “So much for the great Captain, huh?”

You scooted closer to him and he to you. It may have been the leftover effects of the alcohol talking, but you felt innately _connected_ to Steve. It was nice to be able to talk to someone who seemed to actually get you. Though you were on opposite ends of the spectrum, the end result was still similar.

“No, don’t say that. That’s got to be a lot of pressure to live up to, national icon status and everything... You don’t have to be that guy _all the time, though._ Right?“ He shrugged and nodded, understanding where you were going with it. You held out your pinky finger to him and he looked puzzled.

“Oh, come on Steve. Work with me, here, huh?” you groaned, wiggling your finger. “When it’s just us… there’s no all knowing Captain America, there’s no record breaking youngest Special Agent.”

He smiled and linked his finger with yours. “No kid too young to have an opinion…” he declared.

“Yeah… and no octogenarian that is supposed to know everything” you agreed.

“Just us?” he asked. His voice turned soft, almost breathy when he leaned in. His eyes searched yours and then lowered as they traced the outline of your mouth. He reached out gently and caressed your cheek with his free hand and pulled you the rest of the way into his space by your intertwined fingers.

Your heart pounded, being so close to him. “Just us,” you murmured. Your eyes fluttered closed as you felt his soft breath ghosting over your lips, warm and welcoming like coming home. You felt him press a kiss to your forehead. His lips were soft and warm and when you looked up his eyes were darkened with desire. There was a tenderness in his expression and a light flush dusted high on his cheeks.

“Steve,” you breathed. You didn’t know what you were going to say, you just knew you didn’t want him to leave.

He let his eyes roam over your lips again and you held your breath. The air between you was thick and your heart pounded in your chest.

“I’ll uh, let you get some rest,” Steve breathed and just as quickly the spell was broken. “G’night Liv. Sleep good,” he said with a shy smile and rose to leave. You couldn’t do anything but stare after him.

You flopped back onto your bed and chastised yourself. What the hell were you doing? These people were your uncle’s friends, his co-workers. You hardly knew them and here you were, intoxicated and coming on to Captain freaking America. You shook your head and rubbed your hands down your face.

 

Once unpacked you explored the enormous ensuite and decided to enjoy a hot shower. The glass walled enclosure fogged up with steam and you stood under the rainfall shower head until you felt your body relax. It was like something clicked after you met Steve. You couldn’t remember ever feeling that completely connected to a man. He _got_ you and things seemed effortless with him. Maybe the recent realization of the impermanence of life was the cause, but you knew deep in your soul that your life was moving in the right direction, even though you had no idea what the end destination would be.

After showering you dried your hair and fell into the soft bed. It certainly was more comfortable than the hotel and you added that to the list of reasons you were glad to be at the tower.

 

The next morning you woke to the delicious aroma of fresh roasted coffee. After brushing your teeth you made your way out to the kitchen.

“Mornin’ baby girl. How’d you sleep?” Sam asked.

You met him with a hug and kiss on his cheek. “That bed is heaven!” He smiled and poured you a cup of coffee. “Thanks,” you sighed after taking a sip. You looked around and were surprised you two were alone. “Where is everyone?”

“Maria got called to D.C. and Clint and the twins are on a mission. I was just about to go work out. Trust me, you want in on this,” he offered. Sam knew how much you liked sparring, and there was a surprise you'd _love_ downstairs.

“Hell yeah!” you exclaimed. “Let me change real quick.”

You dressed quickly and threw your hair up in a bun. Sam gave you a protein bar on you way to the lift and when you arrived in the gym level, you felt nearly the same sense of awe as you did in the labs upstairs. There was a state of the art simulator, multiple sparring mats, boxing equipment, extensive free weights and treadmills and an _olympic caliber gymnastics arena_ , dance floor and stunt space. Everything was heavy duty and designed with super-soldiers in mind. To say that it was impressive would be the understatement of the century.

Bucky and Natasha were already sparring on one of the mats and didn’t hear you enter. Steve was wrapping his hands to begin working on a heavy bag. He smiled and waved as you and Sam entered.

“You come to kick my ass again Sam?” he asked playfully.

“Nah, the treadmill’s calling my name today, Cap. Sorry to disappoint,” your uncle quipped back. “I’ll let Nat do the honors _again_.”

You were surprised to hear she had taken him, that is until you saw her strategy with Bucky. Honestly, her thighs should be registered as lethal weapons! Maybe they were? She gracefully and expertly climbed up Bucky’s tree trunk of a body and wrapped her thighs around his neck, throwing him to the mat and rolling in and out of different holds.

You squeezed your uncle’s arm and wished him a good run before making your way over to the tape so you could wrap your left ankle as a precaution. You hadn’t worked out in a proper gymnastics facility in months and you were excited to get back to it.

After warming up you shed your hoodie which left you in your sports bra and leggings. You chalked your hands and feet and began with the vault. It had been your favorite event in college and it didn’t disappoint. You ran hard, punched the springboard and lifted off the table, flying through the air before just almost sticking the landing. It was a small step, but was unacceptable in your book so you went again. This time, your hands squared the vault table and you launched higher and your feet stuck the landing but your hips wobbled just a tiny bit.

The sound of clapping hands interrupted your inner critic and you looked over to see Bucky, Natasha and Steve all watching you work. You blushed, not expecting any attention, since when you began everyone was busy with their own workouts. Natasha had came over to work on the beam during your last vault. “You’re a gymnast too, huh?” she asked after landing a standing back tuck.

“I haven’t competed since college,” you answered, looking down at the chalk on your hands and working through your vault in your head. “Last worked with a gymnastics center a few months ago so I feel a little rusty.”

“That was actually pretty good. How’s your parkour?” You looked at her with a curious expression. “You mean you’ve never freerun? Guys, get over here, we’re gonna train Liv,” she hollered to the super soldiers that were back at the heavy bags.

You turned back to the treadmill where Sam was occupied, oblivious to the world with his headphones in. You bit back a small smile, he’d probably mother hen you but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

After a quick water break, Nat had the guys demonstrate some basic moves while she translated them to gymnastics for you.

“Precision jumps are going to be the easiest thing to transition to, since you’re used to sticking your landings. Watch how they roll out of a higher drop though,” she began. You studied Steve and Bucky’s movement, specifically how they began their roll outs with one shoulder. “It’s the diagonal movement that preserves your momentum and protects your body at the same time.”

“How did you get up that wall so easily?” you asked when they came back. “It was like you ran up… how much of this is super soldier and how much is technique?”

Nat arched a red brow at you and took off to the corner, repeating the motions Steve and Bucky just used to climb to the top of the building facade. Obviously it took more effort given her size, but the end result of reaching the height was the same.

“Come on up,” she called down to you from about 20 feet up. There were multiple levels to climb, and you thought if she could do it, you could too. You put your shoes back on and watched as Bucky climbed up the same way. Steve walked over with you and demonstrated the first few steps and jumped back down to help.

“This part’s called a tic-tac. You run at the wall corner, and kick up rather than against. Start like this” he showed you again and you followed. It felt foreign, but so did a back tuck on beam when you first learned that, so you tried again. Once you had the momentum you reached for the opposite wall to pull up on. You almost had it but fell back, landing in Steve’s arms before hitting the padded floor.

“Again,” he said and placed you back on your feet.

You backed up a few feet to get more momentum and ran at the wall. You pushed up and over with your left foot, and reached up and to the right for the top of the wall on that side. Once you had more momentum and height, it was easy to muscle up and you pulled yourself into a sitting position on the top. You looked down at Steve with a satisfied smile on your face.

“Good! Now jump down and roll out,” he smirked. You could feel the competitive energy rising in your chest. It was cathartic to push yourself physically with something unfamiliar. You pushed away from the wall and fell to the floor, finishing with a forward roll. The forward roll, unfortunately was gymnast-pretty and not parkour functional. You knew this as soon as you finished in a standing position with your feet closely together. You breathed out in frustration, knowing exactly what you did wrong. How was it Nat could do this all so effectively given the fact that she’s an olympic caliber gymnast and a ballerina?

You looked to Steve, and scowled a playful warning at him when you saw him biting back a smile. “That was… pretty,” he snorted and smiled wide before he laughed holding his chest.

The spring floor shook as Bucky and Nat both jumped down from their perch on top of the facade. “Come on Liv, loosen up. You can do this,” Nat encouraged. “You’re going to have to take everything you’ve learned about staying tight and finished and do the opposite.”

“I can do this,” you repeated.

Steve walked back with some tape and asked for your hands. You weren’t sure where he was heading with it but gave them to him regardless. He wrapped a length of prewrap and tape over your wrists so they were bound together and internally you fought against losing your shit. You felt your pulse race and your breathing became shallow.

_I can do this._

You were safe, you knew you were, but being bound like that was just enough to start the panic. It was your biggest phobia and it brought flashbacks of being tied down and assaulted by a stranger at a party when you were seventeen.

_I’m safe here, I can do this._

“Hey, are you okay?” Steve asked quietly as he squeezed your shoulder. You looked up into his eyes and dropped your head, silently cursing your transparent reaction. You blew out a breath and reminded yourself you were okay one last time. You were in control, this was just training.

You nodded. “I can do this.”

Bucky and Nat brought over a couple of blocks for you to climb in varying heights. “Jump off of these and roll. No hands, yeah?” she instructed. “Steve can spot you.”

You nodded and climbed up. The first one was easy. It was only a few feet off the ground. Next was a six foot height, and you mastered that as well.

“Now the wall,” Nat ordered. You tried twice to get back up the wall, since it was more difficult to pull up with your wrists tied, but you did it. Your confidence was growing and it felt good. You jumped down and rolled, and as you did you felt Steve’s hands guiding you to protect your neck. “Good!” Nat yelled. “Again!”

You climbed back up the wall and this time got up on your first try. You never would have volunteered to train with your hands bound but the more you did it, the less anxious you were. Learning how to move your body differently and work through the anxiety opened up your muscle memory to new instruction. The third time you were up the wall, you stood on the edge confidently and walked like it was a beam. You kept your hands in, and relied on your lower body and core for balance. Steve smiled up at you.

“Ready?” he asked. And you nodded.

You jumped out and rolled, this time with no help. You let the momentum carry you and your body rolled back up into a defensive standing position facing Steve. It wasn’t instructed, it just felt natural.

“Perfect!” he praised and hugged you. He laughed when you stuck your wrists out to him so you could be freed. He pulled the tape apart effortlessly with his super strength and you rubbed your skin, shaking out your wrists. “Tonight if you’re up for it, we can work on more.”

You held his gaze and shot a coy smile at him. Yeah, you’d like to work with him more.  

Nat came over and gave you a sweaty hug, as did Bucky. “You did good, kid,” he praised. “Stevie’s not a half bad teacher, eh?”

“Stevie’s great,” you agreed, smiling up at him again as you called him _Stevie._

 

That afternoon a mission call came in, cancelling your training plans. A HYDRA facility had been identified in Chicago and the threat level was high. Two senior level officials had been kidnapped and were being held as ransom to trade for Captain America. Your heart leapt into your chest but you kept a brave face as you saw the group off.  

“Promise you’ll be careful, Sammy,” you called across the helipad.

“You know it,” he called back before strapping on the Falcon pack and climbing into the Quinjet.

Reassurances aside, you had a bad feeling. It was possible you were anxious because of everything that happened lately with your mother’s passing and now Sam being out, but it was something you just couldn’t shake.

As the hours ticked by, you tried to busy yourself with preparations at Arlington by phone. Once that was finished, you went for a run in the park. You were a ball of nervous energy and the fresh air and activity usually helped. You pushed yourself harder than usual and you were physically and emotionally exhausted by the time you got back to the tower.

 

The next day passed similarly. You explored the city and ran in the park. Afterward you returned to the tower to check on word from the team.

“Hi kiddo,” the guard smiled warmly as you gave him your ID again.

“Hi Stan, are you having a good day?” you asked forcing your best cheerful voice.

“Better than you are, I s’pose. Wanna talk about it?”

“That obvious, huh?” you asked. He shrugged so you continued. “It’s just been a rough couple of weeks.”

“Keep your chin up, kiddo. Life has a funny way of bringing things full circle. Seen a lot of crazy things workin’ here and everybody always comes back home, know what I mean?”

“Thanks Stan.” You actually felt a little better after his pep talk. He was right. With a hole being torn open in space, a nuke almost hitting the city, and so many other global scale catastrophes being averted, a HYDRA base in Chicago couldn’t be the worst thing the team had fared together. You needed to calm down.

When you arrived on the communal level, it was dark and quiet. It felt odd, but you asked anyway. “JARVIS?”

 _‘Yes, Agent O’Neill. How may I assist you?’_ the speaker in the ceiling answered.

“Uh, is the whole team gone on mission still?”

_‘Dr. Banner has remained behind and is working in his labs. Shall I call him for you?’_

“No, thanks JARVIS. I’ll go see him.” You crossed the lounge to the other lifts and pressed the button to the lab level. Talking to JARVIS wasn’t as odd as you thought it would be. He (it?) was actually very polite and the British accent was endearing.

 

“Hey Bruce?” you called as you entered the same labs you’d toured a few days prior. You entered to find him with his eyes glued to a microscope. He waved a hand to you beckoning you closer without looking up.

“Come see this, I think I’ve finally got it!” he said excitedly as he pushed his glasses back down his forehead. “These nanocytes were extracted from Captain Rogers’ blood,” he said pointing to the microscope on the left. “And these,” he pointed to the one on the right, “are from Sergeant Barnes.”

You looked first in the one on the left, and recognized regular healthy tissue cells with extra cells swirling around. It looked odd and Bruce recognized the slightly confused look on your face.

“The faster motion of the nanocytes is what makes their bodies run so hot. Look, here too,” he motioned to the second microscope.

The second slide of healthy tissue had similar cells, just a slightly different shape and reversed motion. “This one’s Bucky?” you asked.

“Yes, but look what happens when I combine both nanocytes and inject them into natural, unenhanced tissue,” he said excitedly. You looked at the projected image on the screen and watched as both sets of nanocytes combined and permeated the unenhanced tissue. There was an immediate increase in perfusion as the cells worked together.

“What happens if it’s just from Steve or just from Bucky?” you asked, thinking there had to be a logical explanation he combined them before introducing them to the tissue. Bruce walked around behind you and squeezed both shoulders on his way.

“Can’t believe CalTech didn’t accept you!” he said and waved you back to the microscope with the serum from Steve. He switched the slides and stepped back, motioning for you to take a look, so you did.

“Nothing… Huh, that’s strange,” you mumbled.

“Right? That’s what I said! Same thing with Barnes…” he said and lead you back to the other scope. He switched the slides and you saw the same reaction, or lack thereof.

You couldn’t help your giant smile, you still really loved science. You looked back up at the projection of the cells combined. “So what are we looking at? Replicated serum? Do you think you can make more super soldiers?”

“No, no. Nothing like that. This is purely a hypothetical process for repairing damaged tissue.” He looked at you again and pushed up his glasses. “If one of the team gets seriously injured, this could save them. At least, I think it could.”  
You gave Bruce a hug, he was so proud, yet still humble. “This is amazing, Bruce! Let’s hope you never have to test it out, though, right?”

He smiled, a nervous little gesture that exuded the gentleness that defined him.

“I’m sorry, did you need me for something?” he asked, remembering you came looking for him.

“Nah, I was just getting antsy waiting for them to get back. Have you heard anything?” you asked. A worried little feeling made it’s way back into your chest even though this was any other normal day for your uncle and his team. What was your issue?

“They’ll be back as soon as they finish the debriefing in DC. Should be another three hours I guess?” Bruce said, looking at the clock on the wall.

You looked at the clock as well and your stomach grumbled.

“Want to grab some dinner? I saw this little Italian place when I was running earlier.”

Bruce nodded. “Thirty minutes sound good?”

“See you then. Oh, and congratulations Bruce!” you called as you disappeared to your suite to shower and change quickly.

 

Once you were seated, Bruce sat across from you in the little corner booth. It was nice hanging out with him, his presence was calming and he had an endearing sense of humor.

“So, you and Tony, huh?” you began, curious about the dynamics within the group. He grinned and nodded his head lightly.

“Surprised?”

“At first I was, yeah. But it makes sense, opposites attract and all…” You took a sip of your wine and thought about how they were both highly intellectual. “I bet you guys have some great conversations.”

“That's putting it mildly,” Bruce chuckled. “You should see our arguments. What about you, Liv? Is there a ‘special’ special agent back in DC?"

“God, no!” you replied a little too quickly. “I learned that lesson in the academy. Too many agents trying to prove themselves superior in every sense of the word, so it's best to keep feelings out of the Bureau.”

After dinner Bruce finished his wine and waved the waiter over for another glass. “Are you happy there?” he asked once the plates were cleared.

You traced the rim of your glass and thought on your response long and hard. It had been a whirlwind run out of the academy. You were thankful to be in DC so you could live with your mom, but you were alone now and it was quickly losing its shine. You shrugged. “I don't know if I really belong there anymore.”

He gently squeezed your wrist and gave you a kind smile. “In my experience, you know you're home if when you leave somewhere, you miss it. And home, it's not always a place. Sometimes it's people, or in my case, a person.”

“That's… beautiful Bruce.” You realized your eyes were cloudy and you blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill. There was an ache in your chest and you weren't quite sure if it was happiness for him or hope that one day you'd have someone love you like that. Probably a mixture of both.

“How about we share some Tiramisu to lighten the mood?” Bruce asked as he patted your arm kindly and you smiled.

 

That evening the music coming from your phone wasn't enough to lull you to sleep. It had been well over six hours and you were worried because the team still wasn't back. You tried calling Sam, but his phone went directly to voicemail.

You grabbed your book and flipped on the side table lamp. Your eyes grew heavier as you read and you closed them- just for a minute.

The next thing you knew, you were strapped into a seat inside the Quinjet. You saw Sam, bleeding, beaten up and in a shoulder sling. Next to Sam, Maria was bandaging the wound on his forehead and speaking softly to him.

“Sammy! Are you okay?” you called, but he couldn’t hear you. You tried to get up and go to him but the harnesses wouldn’t open. “Sammy!” you called again but he didn’t hear you.

It was as if you weren’t there, the way everyone went on about their business. Steve walked by and you reached out to him to get his attention, but your hand went right through him.

 

You tried again to undo the harness that kept you strapped to the seat but it refused to open. There was no way to free yourself.

One by one, the team left the Quinjet, each passing right by you like you were invisible. Maria and Sam left together and neither even looked in your direction. Steve was last, and you shouted, begging him to see you and let you out. “Steve! Please! Help me!”

You felt something pulling you back against the harness, preventing you from even leaning forward to yell and you tried to fight back. Then it held you by the shoulder, and down your arm.

“Liv?” Steve called, looking around the Quinjet. He found you and smiled. “Liv, it’s okay.” He reached out for you and your hand went through him again.

 

“Come on Liv,” he said softly like everything was fine.

You weren’t convinced. _Couldn’t he see that you were trapped?_ You shut your eyes tight, willing yourself to calm down but then felt someone shaking you. Your eyes flew open and Steve stood in front of you, this time you were in the lounge, dancing. You reached out again, only to have your hands go right through him. _This can't be happening!_

 

Suddenly, you were back in your suite, in bed. You shot up off the pillow and saw Steve on the edge of your bed. He raised his hands defensively and you drew back on instinct, still trying to make sense of the space.

“Hey, hey. It’s me,” he said soothingly. “You’re okay, you’re safe.” The soothing deep timbre of his voice helped calm you. You reached out again, you had to ground yourself by touching him. It was like he was there, but only in a dream.

“Steve,” you whimpered and drew in a ragged breath of exhaustion and panic as your hand went through him again. _Oh God, why was this happening? Please let him be real!_

 

“Liv- come on, sweetheart,” he said firmly. You knew he was trying to help, but you couldn't get to him. “Wake up,” he commanded and squeezed your hands in his. Whether it was the warmth of his hands or his firm commanding tone, you didn't know, but thankfully, you woke. You bolted upright, eyes wild with fear. You tentatively reached out to touch him again, and you felt the warmth of his skin and the firm muscles of his chest through the tank he wore.

“Oh my God, Steve!” you whispered and threw your arms around him. His warm arms enveloped you and he rocked you lightly. He traced reassuring patterns up and down your spine while you tried to steady yourself in his arms. You buried your face in his neck and breathed in the scent of his skin.

Moments later the realization of the nightmare and your reaction burned your cheeks with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry,” you said quietly and untangled yourself from his arms.

“You don't have anything to apologize for,” he soothed. “It happens to all of us.”

You relaxed in the reassurance his words gave you. “Sammy- is he okay?” you asked and noticed his slightly bruised cheek and the small cut above his brow. “Oh, Steve… are _you_ okay?” You reached out and gingerly brushed your fingertips across his forehead. He laughed softly and held your hand before reassuring you. “Sam’s fine. He took a few hits but I got the brunt of it. Everybody’s safe.”

He smiled the reassuring crooked grin you were growing to  love before pressing a chaste kiss to your palm and let your hand go. Your heart pounded in your ears and you felt your head spin from the simple gesture.

“You gonna be alright, Liv?” You nodded with a shrug and Steve narrowed his eyes. You weren't very convincing. “Wanna talk about it?” he asked.

You shrugged again, you weren't even sure what it was that had you feeling so off, and you told him so.

He smiled and shot a sneaky look your way. “I have an idea. Wear something warm and meet me by the lift in ten minutes, okay?”

You met Steve at the elevator and asked, “Where are we going?” He was dressed similarly. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder and a metal thermos in his hand.

“Can't ruin the surprise, that's half the fun,” he teased. He pressed the button for the parking level and stuck the thermos in the backpack.

When you got to his bike, he fastened his helmet on you and nodded for you to get on behind him. You slipped on his jacket and the backpack over your hoodie and did so with a curious smile. The bike roared to life and you wrapped your arms around his waist. After a few minutes, your hands became cold, and you snuck them into the front pocket of Steve’s hoodie. The fleece fabric combined with his natural body heat warmed you, but it was when he covered your hands with one of his own that you felt yourself finally relax again. After a short trip, you arrived at what the signs identified as Coney Island. It was still dark but wouldn’t be for much longer. He parked the bike and you walked together to the shore.

“I come here sometimes to think,” he said. “It’s really only peaceful when it’s early like this. Reminds me of how it used to be… before.”

He reached into the backpack and took out a thin blanket and you sat on it together. You bundled yourself up in your hoodie and his jacket and he pulled another small blanket out of the backpack along with the thermos.

“Coffee?” he asked and your face lit up. You took the small metal cap full of coffee and enjoyed the warmth of the liquid. He did the same when you offered him the cup.

“This is great, Steve, I definitely didn’t expect it.”

“So far it’s working…”

“Working?”

“Yeah, you’re smiling. That’s all I wanted, that and to show you a New York sunrise,” he nodded to your left and you noticed the very beginning of the orange and violet colors rising up in the sky.

A cold breeze blew in off the ocean and you shivered. He opened his arms, silently inviting you in. You moved in so you were sitting between his legs and leaning back against his warm chest. He covered you with the blanket and you leaned back into his embrace. You both sat quietly and shared coffee as the sun’s rays colored the sky with brilliant oranges, reds and purples. The rhythmic crashing of the waves was the only soundtrack to your peaceful morning. Joggers passed by intermittently and you watched as the boardwalk slowly woke and came to life.

“The sky is so beautiful,” you said and looked up to his blue eyes. He smiled down at you fondly and dropped a chaste kiss to your temple.

“You’re beautiful,” he spoke softly, almost too soft for you to hear. He wrapped his arms around you and you leaned back into his embrace. You weren’t sure what to say, so you enjoyed the moment in comfortable silence for what it was- sweet and honest.

 

Later that week you were called back to DC because of a break in a long term pending case. It was difficult to leave your uncle so quickly. You had met some amazing people and they quickly accepted you into their family so you knew you’d miss them too. Your flight was scheduled for six am so your last night was supposed to be an early one. Wanda organized a farewell dinner and made Chicken Kiev and Bucky baked cookies for dessert. It was a sweet gesture and only made leaving more difficult.

That evening you made your way up to the roof deck and relaxed alone on one of the patio swings. You kicked off your sandals and tucked your feet under your sundress. The never-sleeping city below you bustled with energy and a cool summer evening breeze blew through your hair. You heard the roof access door open and looked back to see Steve making his way over to you with the small blanket from the beach.

“Thought you could use this, it can get chilly up here at night.” He handed you the blanket and you thanked him. He stood quietly for a moment before turning to leave.

“Steve,” you called and he turned back. “Can you- would you mind staying for a while?”

He nodded and sat next to you with his arm around you. You leaned into his side and curled your legs up before you covered your laps with the blanket. He gave you a reassuring squeeze and you sighed and leaned your head on his shoulder.

“I’m gonna miss it here,” you murmured.

“It’s a great city, huh?”

You wrapped your arm across his torso and he pulled your legs into his lap. Every time you were near Steve since that first ride to the hotel, you needed to touch him. He seemed to feel the same, and usually the physical contact was initiated by him. It didn’t feel forced and it wasn’t something that anyone teased about. It was just easy, natural.

“Yeah, the city’s nice too,” you laughed softly and he kissed your temple. You laid your head back against his chest like you had done so many times. You felt his warm hand softly cup your cheek. He turned your face up to his and met your eyes. They were dark with desire just like they were your first night at the tower. Your heart skipped and you thought this time might actually be it.

Steve’s expression was intense and you felt his eyes boring deep into your soul. “Liv, sweetheart,” he breathed. You were so close and you could feel his breath ghosting across your face. You held the hand that was cradling your cheek and nodded ever so slightly.

He leaned in to close the distance and finally, _finally_ pressed his lips to yours. The soft pressure made your breath hitch as he reverently moved against your mouth. You kissed back, and sighed into his mouth when he licked your lips with his tongue and into your waiting mouth. He explored your mouth and your tongues moved together in a symphony of soft moans and caresses.

You wrapped your arms around his neck and he pulled you further into his lap. He lifted and settled you so your legs were straddling his own. He pulled you close against his body and you felt his warm hands splayed out against your back. The softness of your breasts pressed against his firm chest and you ran your hands from his shoulders, to his neck and up to his hair. Your fingers carded through his blond locks and you pulled gently causing a growling moan to escape from his lips as he raised his hips up against you.

The sound went straight to your core. You met him with a whimper and rocked your hips down against the bulge in his pants. You broke apart breathing heavily and his mouth went straight to the column of your neck. He nibbled and sucked the spot just over your pulse and the sensations drove you crazy.

 _“Steve,”_ you whimpered and tugged on his hair again. His hips bucked up involuntarily and you rutted your hips down against him again, this time harder and more deliberately. You guided his lips lower and he took your cues. He kissed and sucked on your collarbone before you lifted up so your breasts were close to his face.

Your hands traced down his neck and over his shoulders down to his biceps. He took the opportunity to reach up between you and pull your mouth back down to his. His tongue entered your mouth deliberately and you enjoyed the feeling of it curling in your mouth, tasting, exploring. He ran his fingers through your hair and held each side of your neck with his large hands and began nipping at your lips. You sucked on his as he teased you and your breath started coming in harsher pants. You locked your eyes with his and rocked down against his erection again, growing desperate for more friction.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked. His voice was thick and deep with desire and his pupils were blown wide.

“ _Please,_ _Steve._ I need you,” you begged and held onto his hands. “Please,” you whispered.

His lips crashed against yours again and there was nothing hesitant about any of it. His movements were as determined and deliberate as yours. He squeezed your soft waist and ran his hands up to your ribs and back down to your hips. When he did, he guided your hips down and rocked you against his erection causing you to moan desperately.

You reached down and drew the fabric of his t-shirt up his abdomen, exposing the ridges and dips of his muscles. He grabbed the fabric and drew it up over his head and tossed it to the side while he watched you reach back and untie the straps of your sundress. The front fell exposing your breasts and he slowed for a moment, raking his eyes over you and taking you in.

“God, Liv. You’re so beautiful,” he breathed and brought you flush against him in another searing kiss. His mouth licked and sucked down the side of your neck and past your collar bone. You felt the warm pressure of his hands gripping and massaging the sensitive skin of your breasts. His thumbs softly caressed your pert buds as he drug them across the stiff peaks. It wasn’t long before his hot mouth followed his hands down and he suckled your breasts softly. That careful worshipping pressure soon turned stronger and your cries also grew louder. At that point you wanted nothing more than Steve’s mouth everywhere on your body. His lips loudly popped off your breast and you whined at the loss. He looked up into your eyes and spoke.

“JARVIS, lock down the roof, security protocol Rogers-1918 and delete everything beginning from my arrival to this level.”

 _‘Completed per your request, Captain,’_ the AI replied.

You looked from left to right and wrapped the blanket around yourself, suddenly feeling very exposed. “Hey, sweetheart... Just us, remember?” he soothed and reached out for your pinky finger.

You hesitantly reached out and linked your pinky with his. He reached up and brushed a lock of your hair back behind your ear with his other hand. After that he smiled up at you with so much adoration you melted right back into his embrace. He rose and carried you over to the oversize patio sofas and gingerly laid you back before slipping off his shoes and lowering himself down onto you.

The feeling of his weight pressing down on you was intoxicating. You reached between the two of you and fumbled with his belt, giving him the signal that you wanted more. You didn’t let go of his lips while you undid the button and zipper of his pants. He reached up and pulled the fabric of your sundress down and over your hips. You laid beneath him in nothing but your underwear but you didn’t feel uncomfortable or exposed anymore. Under his eyes you felt like you were where you’d always belonged.

Steve kissed your neck and out to your shoulder, covering the light dusting of freckles there with his lips. He kissed lower, around the side of your breast and down to your ribs. He gently nipped and bit into your skin and teased you down to your navel and then across to the opposite hip. His soft breath felt hot and perfect against your skin as he looked up at you. He traced the waist of your underwear with his lips and met your eyes waiting for permission. Your hand ran through his hair and he nuzzled against it while at the same time nosing at your skin where your leg met your body. He squeezed your hips and looked back up at you again with darkened pleading eyes. You bit your lip and shook your head yes.

He kissed your core through the lace fabric before pulling them down your legs. After he dropped them to the side, he settled low between your legs and continued his worship of your body. One hand gripped your hip and the other rubbed softly over the skin of your abdomen while his mouth settled above your core.

He kissed lower, and lower still before his tongue darted out and licked up and into your folds. You whimpered at the sensation and bucked your hips slightly. He held you down with his large hands and repeated the motion, this time deeper.

“Oh, Steve! Mmm, oh my god, yes!” you cried.

His tongue circled your sensitive nub and you saw sparks each time he changed the sucking pressure with his lips. Your breathing became faster and heavier as he continued his ministrations with his lips and tongue. You moaned softly at first, but then your cries rose in pitch as it became impossible to remain still. Your body moved involuntarily, writing beneath him and you felt the heat and pressure coil in your core until your body exploded with your release. You cried out his name over and over again until your body melted into the sofa and he kissed back up to your mouth. You tasted yourself on his lips and tongue and it caused another wave of desire to crash over you. You needed to taste him, every inch of him.

You grabbed his waist and pushed down at his shorts and boxers as you whimpered into his mouth. He took your cue and stood to remove the rest of his clothes. You sat up and grabbed his hips in your hands. His erect cock was long and thick, and you wanted nothing more in that moment to feel it stretch your lips as you slid them down taking him as far as you could.

You sat forward and palmed his erection while looking up at him. You’re pretty sure your expression was close to begging but you didn’t care. You wanted him to know how much you needed him. You kissed the flat of his stomach and down the “V” of his hips. You nuzzled into the skin there and kissed over to what you wanted most. He ran his hands through your hair and you held his gaze while you licked softly at the tip, tasting the salty bead of precome that was waiting there. You moaned as you licked a hot stripe up the underside and swirled your tongue around his tip. You sucked on the head and watched as his eyes rolled back into his head and he bit his lip. The hands in your hair gently gathered it into a ponytail so he could see you better. You covered your teeth with your lip and flattened your tongue, taking him as deep as you could. You had to use your hands where your mouth couldn’t go due to his size, but you bobbed your head each time taking him deeper and deeper. His skin was so soft and velvety and you felt the veins rub along your tongue each time you sucked up, hollowing your cheeks. You moaned deep in your throat and pushed yourself to take as much as you could. You almost went too far and your eyes began to water, so you slid off with a wet “pop” and ran your tongue down each side. You relaxed your throat and took him deeper again, moaning filthily at the fullness in your throat.

He continued to card his fingers through your hair, and you were spurred on by the increasing desperation in his moans.

“Oh, Liv. Baby, come here, please,” he begged. You released him with another wet “pop” and wiped your mouth with the back of your hand as he pulled you up and lifted you into his arms effortlessly.

Your mouths met again in a desperate kiss and you begged, “Please, Steve. I want you so bad.”

He growled against your neck and you felt him mark you deeply where your neck met your shoulder. “I’m gonna give you everything you want. Anything, I’m yours. I’m yours.”

You wrapped your legs firmly around his hips and rutted down against his erection with your wet core. His large hands grabbed your ass and spread your cheeks while he held you just out of reach of what you wanted, teasing you with a devious smile.

“Steve, please,” you begged again.

“I’m gonna give you what you want, Sweetheart. First you gotta tell me somethin’.” He kissed you deeply and nipped at your lips again. “I gotta know you’re mine. Tell me you’re mine,” he demanded, his Brooklyn accent thick. _“Only mine.”_

You locked your eyes onto him and vowed, “I’m yours, Steve. Only yours, _always yours.”_

He turned and sat back on the sofa with you still in his arms. He leaned back and helped you rise up so you could sink down onto him when you were ready. Your lips met in another passionate kiss and you began rocking slowly against him in anticipation. You rose up onto your knees and guided his erection, rubbing the tip against your core and coating him in your wetness. Just that simple teasing was exquisite and you slowly sank down onto him. The more you took, the more the stretch of him entering you began to burn. You whimpered into his mouth because you’d never felt so full and you had to stop about halfway down.

His hands caressed the sides of your body and he watched your expression carefully for any sign of hesitation. “Baby, are you okay?” he asked, full of concern. You nodded breathlessly and willed your body to relax around him.

You rose back up and sank down further, meeting his eyes the whole time. That kind of eye contact was more intense and personal than anything physical you were doing. His expression was full of awe and desire You felt everything from him and gave him just as much.

You met in a hungry, passionate kiss and the two of you moved against each other softly, slowly until he was fully seated inside you. He stilled so you could accommodate his size and the stretch was maddening. You wanted him to move, to give you the friction you so desperately needed but you knew you had to get used to his size before he gave you anything more.

“Steve, you feel so good, “ you whimpered.

He kissed you deeply and growled into your mouth. “Sweetheart… you’re so beautiful. Fuck, so tight,” he groaned and moved inside you the slightest bit, making you whine against his lips.

“Please, Steve. Please, make love to me.”

He gripped your hips and began moving, sliding you up and down and your breathing quickened. What began as whimpers grew louder as you moved more and more with each thrust. Every roll of his hips beneath you felt deeper and you tightened around him. Each slide pressed against the magic spot in your core and before you knew you were coming, screaming out his name.

“Fuck! Sweetheart, you feel so good. So beautiful, so perfect for me,” he breathed into your mouth. Your tongues danced between the two of you and your neck rolled back, exposing the column of your throat to him which he gladly nipped, kissed and sucked at, marking you wherever he wanted along your collarbone. He moved so one hand was gripping your ass and the other held your breast possessively. “Tell me you’re mine. Baby, _please,_ I gotta hear it,” he begged as he held your gaze with his piercing blue eyes.

“I’m yours. I belong to you, Steven. _You!”_ you cried as his hands gripped your hips tighter.

“Say it again. Say my name,” he ordered in a commanding tone.

“Steven! Mmm... Steven,” you whimpered into his mouth. When you kissed him deeper your cries became sharper. He could tell you were close again.

“Fuck, Baby. Are you gonna come again? Gonna come on my cock?” He kissed you again and fucked his tongue into your waiting mouth. “Go ahead, Sweetheart. _Do it._ Come for me!”

You did exactly what he ordered and came again, hard. The way he held you and slid you up and down his shaft, keeping eye contact with his intense stare, it went straight through to your core. All you wanted to do was obey him, he knew exactly what your body wanted and needed. Nobody ever knew you like he did. You felt yourself melt into him and his mouth began worshipping your body again. He kissed, licked, nipped and sucked exactly how and where you needed.

His thrusts grew erratic and he laid you down against the sofa. You were bracketed in by his powerful forearms and you turned your head to the side and kissed the skin of his bulging bicep. His other arm snaked down behind your leg and drew it up high above your waist so he could enter you deeper. The sensation caused your eyes to roll back and you bit your lower lip hard. He kissed you and sucked your lower lip into his mouth. He ran his tongue over it and sucked at the spot where you almost drew blood.

His thrusts were harder, faster and you felt yourself floating into bliss. You knew nothing but his breath, his voice, and his body moving inside you. It was everything you wanted, that you ever needed. Each thrust brought with it a cry of pleasure from you and a harsh breath from him. You could tell he was getting close and you _needed_ to feel him come.

“Liv, Sweetheart. Oh, fuck!”

“Please, Steve. I want it,” you begged into his mouth. “Come inside me. I need you!”

“Are you sure? _Baby,_ tell me you’re sure,” he _growled._     

You grabbed each side of his jaw and held eye contact with him. You kissed him, quick and dirty and _begged, “Steven,_ give it to me. I need you to- _oh, god, please!”_    

It was exactly what he needed to hear, and his thrusts grew deeper, harder and more desperate. Each time he entered you, he moaned deeper until he made no sense. You lost yourself in his passion, the heat and friction and the power of his movements. You edged closer and closer to another orgasm and your body clenched down on him at the same time he exploded deep within you.

The force of him coming in you was so strong, so deep. You felt his passion straight through to your soul and your body quivered with it, clenching rhythmically and taking everything from him. You breathed into each other’s mouths, breathless, desperate for connection and your tongues danced together with no real direction. You felt weightless, like you were floating, drifting, higher and higher. The only thing you could feel was complete, intense and total pleasure. Your body pulsed with it. You heard and felt your heart beating with Steve’s at the same time. It was the only thing grounding you, the only thing keeping you from floating up and up and up into space.

Gradually, you heard him talking to you, heard him saying your name over and over.

“Liv, honey. You’re so beautiful. So perfect. I love you, love you so much. Baby, look at me. That’s it, sweetheart, I gotcha” he said as your eyes met. The brightest blue eyes you’d ever seen stared down at you in awe and wonder.

“Steve,” you moaned and he met you in a kiss. He kissed you softly, reverently. His hand gently traced your cheek and he smiled down at you.

“Hey, beautiful. There’s my girl, I gotcha Baby.”

You smiled and pulled him down so you could feel his lips against yours again. He kissed you tenderly and slow, gently holding your face. Your body still pulsed with pleasure and you held tightly onto him, still feeling like if you let go you’d float away. The intensity of your emotions came through the tears in your eyes as you worshipped his lips. He felt the wetness on his hands as your tears slid down your cheeks silently. He kissed them away and you tasted the saltiness of them on his lips.

“Sweetheart, my beautiful Liv. I love you so much Baby.”

“I love you too, Steve. I love you, I’m yours,” you breathed against him as your tongues danced together.

Your mouths continued the soft worship of each other as your bodies each came down from the intense pleasure you shared. He covered your body with his own and held you in his arms. Lying under him you felt safe and loved. You were home. Finally, home.

**Author's Note:**

> I really had a hard time writing the end after the beach scene... Hope y'all liked it! 
> 
> This is a fan fiction writing, I own no one outside of the OFC/Reader's POV, all Avengers characters belong to Marvel and Stan Lee.
> 
> This work includes a scene of unprotected sex, be smart and wrap it before you tap it!


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